Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-29
BELGIUM.
An Interview With Con.
sul-General ReuleauX.
HE LIKES CALIFORNIA.
Pleasant Words for the Los An.
geles PeOple-A Good Place
for Belgians.

representative of the HERALD called at
that hostelry for the purpose of obtain
ing an interview with him. A trip in
the elevator to the suite of rooms occu-
pied by M. Reuleaux was soon made,
and q knock at the outer door was re.
sponded to by cordial "Come in"
catering, the scribe was confronted by
. pleasant-looking gentleman of about
forty-6vs years Of age, who had evil
IDENTIFY been engaged in literary pursuits,
- an escritoire near the wall was laden
with manuscripts, an open diary and
the usual appurtenances connected with
the welding of the pen. On explaining
the object of his visit, M. Reuleaux
readily assented to furnish the desir ed
information, and without further ado
the following interview took place.
SIS your trip here one of pleasure, M.
Rsuleaux!'
''No; l am travelling on purely official
business. am deputed by the Belgian
government to inquire into the condition
VI tuc kuuubtIlCSy COnAhlCASo oAAo oShASa
ture of the various sections of the
United States. / have already visited
Michigan, Illinois and other Central
States, and on leaving Los Angeles will
20 to San Francisco, from there to Ore
gon, the Yellowstone Park, and through
Colorado back East"
'sWhat has been the result of your in
quiries up to the present timer"
''Eminently satisfactory. have been
much pleased at the enterprise that is
displayed in ell branches of trade. And
I have been very much astonished also.
I had imagined to find the Western
country wild, lawless place and in
stead of that have found the highest
culture and refinement"
''What are your particular impress
sions respecting Los Angeles ?"
81 am charmed Beyond description.
The climate is the most perfect l have
ever encountered. Before came to the
United States was stationed in the
Caucasus mountains in Russia, where
tie climate is reported to be very fine,
but it is not to be compared with what
I have experienced in Southern Califor-
MIA"
"Then you will doubtless make fav-
orable report concerning our section to
your government
"Most assuredly I will. will de-
scribe its advantages, both those con-
ferred by nature and improved by the
handiwork OF man, ss having favorably
impressed me. think this would be a
good field for emigration for some of my
countrymen who are plumbers, plaster
ere, masons, agriculturists, and in fact
for all branches of labor and mechanical
art, but shall simply make the state.
ment of the way l have found things
here and leave the rest to themselves.
You see, If were to induce them to
come and they made failure here, they
would write home and to my office and
lay all their troubles at my door"
"Have you met many of your coun.
trymen in this vicinity"
"Well, there are q few here, and they
all report themselves as very contented.
They are getting good remuneration for
their labor, and the conditions of life
here as regards food and clothing are
very reasonable. But then, had not
expected to md many of my country.
men, for, as you know, the emigration
from Belgium is very slight. The total
exodus does not amount to more
than 1900 to 1900 year, and
of those the majority stay in
the Eastern States, most noticeably in
Pennsylvania. The reason most of
them stay there is because of the
foundries and window-glass factories
which abound in that vicinity and as
those are some of the principal indus
tries in Belgium many of the craft who
drift over here of course naturally pre-.
fer to work at their own trade"
II suppose then that you are paying
particular attention to the iron industry
in the United States'"
"Yes; / am making exhaustive In.
quiries into the mode of conducting and
the operating of the foundries and roll
ing mills here. You turn out much
finer pieces of machinery than we do in
Belgium because you invest more money
in your enterprises than our conserva-
tive merchants would care about doing.
One thing in particular has impressed
me and that is the excellence of the
agricultural implements here. have
not yet seen one of your combined
harvesters at work but intend to do 80
before leave California and from what
I have been told expect to see q mag.
nificent piece of machinery"
"Do you intend staying any length OF
time in Los Angeles?"
"No, 1 will leave tomorrow for San
Francisco. 1t is impossible for me to
stay long in any one place, as l have
only made arrangements to be absent
from the Consulate for about four
months, and your country is SO vast
that q great deal of that time will be
occupied on the railroad cars. intend
visiting the oil wells at Puente and
should like to 90 over to the mines at
Calico. but I have not the time to
spare"
81 see you are keeping voluminous
notes of your experiences while on this
journey!"
"Oh, yesl l am making the fullest
INQUIRIES and obtaining statistics at every
place of note I visit. These, together
with my own impressions, will for
ward to headquarters at Brussels after
my trip is concluded, and I also intend
publishing them in book form there. "
"Your government takes q great in
terest in the American republic, does it
mott!
eyes, you are one of the best friends
to Belgian commerce and trade that we
have. 1t is with the view of enhanc-
ing this friendship and improving our
relations in every way that | have been
ordered to make this tour of inquiry"
"Have you had many difficulties to
contend with in your pursuit after know.
ledger"
"No, / have met with the most gen.
erous treatment in every quarter. / am
charmed with the affability of the Amer
can people, I consider them the most
hospitable and warm-hearted race l
have ever met"
s'What do you think of our system of
transportation
SIT is very fine; sleepingcar accommo-
dation is something we are not used to
in Europe. But must tell you how